Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-10-06
Grant Guittltp 4erald,
The g. A. r. and the President.

President Cleveland's conduct re-
garding Grand Army matters, has been
severely criticised by the veterans at st.
Louis. The veto of the dependent PEN
sion bill; the proposed return of the
captured rebel flags; the honors heaped
upon ex-confederates, while Union vet
Grams are passed by, have called forth
general condemnation. The organiza-
ton is not a political one, but can it be
expected that its members have so far
forgotten the past as to quietly overlook
these things? The question of the new
Commander-in-C was discussed
with some spirit. The press has quite
generally censured General Fairchild
for the violently indignant protest made
by him against the Presidents order to
return the flags. He, and Governor
Foraker have had to bear the burden of
all that has been said against the order
The Inter Ocean says, referring to
charges made against General FAN child:
I'm the attacks made upon him by
Democratic papers Gen. Fairchild was
credited with saying all the bitter things
that were said against the pension vetoes,
whereas he said in public very little
He did speak strongly and earnestly
against the return of the rebel flags.
and it was not until after this speech
was published that the Democratic pa
pers began to credit him with intemper-
ate language on the Presidents vetoes.
They COMPOUNDED the two questions, and
because Gen. Fairchild spoke the senti-
ments of the soldiers on the question of
returning the flags, and because what he
said met at once with the hearty indorse-
ment of ex-soldiers of all parties, he was
made the target for the flippant black
guardism Of men who took no pains to
inform themselves, and who hated him
because he had been a soldier, rather
than because of what he said on pensions
or on the rebel flags.
When the discussion over the visit
of the president to st. LOUIS at the
time of the encampment was at it's
height the Democratic papers credited
General Fairchild with being the mar
plot, whereas the unanimous sentiment
of the St. Louis committee was to the
effect that Fairchild was the peace
maker, and that they received every
possible assistance from him in bring
ing about an adjustment of difficulty
which he had no part in precipitating
In short, it has been the custom of the
Democratic papers to charge all the
offenses of members of the Grand
Army on the commander-in-chief and
to criticise him as though he were q
swashbuckler and an intriguing parti-
san instead of being soldier with as
fine record as any in the country, and
a gentleman respected by Democrats
and Republicans alike"
Throughout the reunion only one
public reference has been made to the
President by Mr.. Fairchild The
Globe Democrat says of him: 1.-The
Democratic press has exhausted its re-
sources Of vituperation upon Gen. Fair
child because he is of vigorous protest
against the proposed return of the rebel
battle-tlags; and he is now receiving his
reward in the marks of enthusiastic re-
spect and honor with which he is
greeted on every hand by the veterans
whose courage and patriotism wrested
those flags from the enemies of the
country and of Liberty"